Belly Crawling: Why It’s an Important Milestone (But Not the Final Step!)

Notice how this baby's belly fully contacts the surface. They are happy and healthy but can use some help to get onto all fours for a typical crawling pattern.

Have you ever watched a baby speed across the floor like a little army recruit? 🏃‍♂️💨 Belly crawling—also called commando crawling—is a common way babies start moving before transitioning to hands-and-knees crawling. And while it might look adorable (and impressively fast!), there’s more to it than meets the eye.

So, is belly crawling normal? Yes!

Should it be the final way a baby crawls? No.

Let’s dive into why belly crawling matters and why moving beyond it is just as important.

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Baby learning to crawl and place weight through hands

What is Belly Crawling?

Belly crawling is when babies move forward on their stomachs, using their arms to pull themselves while their legs push off the ground. It’s often the first step in crawling development, appearing before the more advanced hands-and-knees crawl.

About half of all babies belly crawl before progressing to hands-and-knees crawling. But some babies get so good at it that they never move past this stage—and that’s where concerns can arise.

Why Do Some Babies Prefer Belly Crawling?

Babies might stick with belly crawling because it’s easier than hands-and-knees crawling. Here is an overview of why:

✅ Less Strength Needed – Belly crawling doesn’t require as much activation in the head, neck, core, or hip muscles. It allows babies to use the front/top of their shoulders to pull themselves across the floor. It doesn't make them use the full 360* of the shoulder girdle.

⚖️ Less Balance & Coordination Required – Unlike hands-and-knees crawling, which demands more weight shifting and balance, belly crawling is a more stable and low-to-the-ground movement. While babies often learn to move the arms and legs separately from one another, they do not have to move their arms and legs at midline (the center of their body by their belly button). Moving limbs at midline during crawling requires both sides of the brain to communicate seamlessly with one another.

🧠 Lots of Sensory Input – With their tummy, arms, and legs touching the ground- belly crawling provides a lot of sensory feedback about their body’s position in space (known as proprioception). They receive deep pressure and immediate feedback.

While belly crawling is a great first step, if a baby isn’t progressing to hands-and-knees crawling within 4-6 weeks, they might need some extra encouragement from an occupational therapist or physical therapist.

Why Hands-and-Knees Crawling is So Important

Hands-and-knees crawling isn’t just about movement—it plays a huge role in a baby’s physical and brain development! Transitioning beyond belly crawling is key for a multitude of reasons:

🔁 Cross-Body Coordination – Crawling on hands and knees requires alternating movements between the left and right sides of the body, helping both sides of the brain communicate. Crawling on hands and knees results in baby bringing their hands/knees past the center of their body which further strengthens this connect for your little one. Effectively cross midline supports future skills like reading, writing, and coordination in sports.

💪 Core, Shoulder, & Hip Strength – Hands-and-knees crawling strengthens the shoulder girdle, core, and hip muscles, which are essential for standing, walking, running, and even sitting up with good posture. When crawling on all fours, baby has to activate their deep core muscles to lift the belly off of the ground and keep a straight (ish) back instead of relying on the floor for support.

Notice the arches in babies palm. You can see that the thumb can fold inward to help baby grasp items and engage in opposition

🤲 Hand Development – Crawling helps develop hand arches, which are important for fine motor skills like texting, using scissors, handwriting, and gripping objects. Hand arches are those lines on our palm that crease when you bend your hand. Having developed hand arches allows us to separate the pinky side of the hand from the thumb side to use them separately.

🧠 Reflex Integration – Crawling helps integrate primitive reflexes, which are automatic movements that support balance, coordination, and sensory processing in infancy. Reflexes are wonderful because they teach our body how to move and are the foundation for motor and sensory development. However unintegrated reflexes can contribute to challenges with attention, movement, and learning later on. An unintegrated reflex can make it hard to focus because anytime stimulation is given to that area, the body wants to move automatically. This disrupts our thought process and attention to task.

When to Watch for Crawling Red Flags

If your baby belly crawls for longer than 6 weeks without transitioning to hands-and-knees crawling, they try to jump straight to walking, or if they show any of the following signs, it might be worth checking in with a local pediatric OT or developmental specialist:

🚩 Only uses one side of the body to move

🚩 Only uses their top half or bottom half to move (arms vs legs)

🚩 Avoids bearing weight on their arms

🚩 Skips belly crawling and hands-and-knees crawling altogether

🚩 Moves with stiff patterns

🚩 Asymmetrically movement patterns (hikes one hip, only moves one arm forward, etc.)

These can indicate underlying weaknesses or movement imbalances that could affect future development. The good news? With the right guidance, babies can strengthen their movement patterns and transition to crawling effectively! The best thing about working with babies is they respond so quickly to a little bit of guidance!

Baby crawls in a bear crawl pattern with hands and feet on the ground instead of knees

How to Encourage Hands-and-Knees Crawling

If your baby seems “stuck” in belly crawling, here are some simple ways to help them progress:

✨ Tummy Time & Floor Play – Give them lots of time to explore movement on the floor to build strength. Get on the floor with them and hang out there together.

✨ Elevate Their Chest – Place a small rolled towel or cushion under their chest during tummy time to encourage arm pushing.

✨ Create and obstacle course – Encourage them to move through soft obstacles that require them to climb up and over something to get their favorite toy (or find you!)

✨ Limit Baby Walkers & Standing Devices – These can delay crawling by skipping important floor-based development. On this same note: avoid standing baby even if they "like it"

✨ Get on the Floor with Them! – Babies love to imitate—crawl around and show them how it’s done!

Final Thoughts

Belly crawling is an important milestone, but it shouldn’t be the last stop on the crawling journey! Hands-and-knees crawling helps strengthen muscles, improve coordination, and support brain development for future movement and learning skills.

If your baby is staying in the belly crawl phase too long or showing signs of asymmetry, a little extra support can go a long way. As always, if you have concerns, reaching out to a developmental specialist can help ensure your little one is on the right track!

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Infant occupational therapist in Eugene Oregon works on correcting crawling form to encourage toddler to crawl on all fours.